Hang rail construction and bracket therefor

ABSTRACT

A hang rail is provided which comprises a hollow extruded tube with a protrusion or rib along its bottom side having a pair of opposed grooves. A bracket is provided to support the hang rail formed with front and rear flanges or arms and a lower supporting structure between the flanges or arms. Each flange or arm has at least one inwardly bent hook portion. The rail is pushed downwardly with the protrusion or rib entering between the flanges or arms, separating the hook portions slightly so that they can snap into the grooves when the bottom end of the protrusion or rib comes into engagement with the lower supporting structure. The bracket is mounted to a support member to be secured to a standard, the support member for example, being of the type which hooks into channel standards. The upper surface of the hang rail has an insert of some suitable plastic material so that hangers will easily slide along the hang rail without scratching its surface.

United States Patent Varon et al. [4 1 Aug. 22, 1972 [54] HANG RAIL CONSTRUCTION AND 3,247,973 4/1966 Ruhnke ..21 1/105.l BRACKET THEREFOR 3,282,548 11/1966 Ruhnke ..248/243 [72] lnvemors' a z g g ggr hl Slegal Primary Examiner-Nile C. Byers, .lr.

Attorney-S1lverman & Cass [73] Assignee: Crown Metal Manufacturing Co.,

Chicago, Ill 57 ABSTRACT Filedi 1970 A hang rail is provided which comprises a hollow ex- [21] APPL No; 93,091 truded tube witha protrusion or rib along its bottom side having a pair of opposed grooves. A bracket 18 provided to support the hang rail formed with front U.S. and r ar flanges or arms and a lower upporting truc- Clture between the flanges or arms Each flange or arm [58] Fleld 0f Search "211/7, 1231 has at least one inwardly bent hook portion. The rail is g 21 l/ 103; 248/251 pushed downwardly with the protrusion or rib entering between the flan es or arms, separating the hook por- [56] References C'ted tions slightly so that they can snap into the grooves UNITED STATES PATENTS when the bottom end of the protrusion or rib comes mto engagement with the lower supporting structure. Ruhnke The bracket is mounted to a upport member [0 be COmStOCk e ured to a tandard the upport member for exam- Blake ple of the hooks into channel Stan- Hannon et "21 dards The upper urface of the rail has an insert 1,178,860 4/1916 Knudsen ..248/251 X of some suitable plastic material so that hangers will 1,235,476 7/1917 Hoff ..248/251 easily Slide along the hang rail without Scratching its 2,512,203 6/1950 Fluharty ..21l/123 surface" 2,807,834 10/1957 Blum ..248/251 3,239,070 3/1966 Clauson ..211/105.1 28 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures HANG RAIL CONSTRUCTION AND BRACKET THEREFOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention is concerned with the construction of a hang rail and bracket therefor.

In the field of merchandising clothing, there has always been the need for racks for hanging clothes so that the same may be stored,,displayed, and sold. The basic construction of such racks is the utilization of pipes or tubes which are supported from a wall by some suitable brackets. In recent years, display fixtures have been characterized by the use of vertical channel members anchored to walls and having forwardly extending support members hooked into elongate slots which are punched along the entire length of the channel members. These structures are too well known to require description. I

The invention is specifically directed to a type of bracket which can be secured to this kind of support member so that hang rails supported on the brackets will thereby the supported by the vertical channel standards. This provides a facile manner of mounting the hang rails.

There have been known hang rails and brackets therefor which generally meet the above description. For the most part these have been complex and expensive. The complexity has arisen' in some cases in the construction of the bracket and in other cases in the construction of the hang rail itself.

The invention herein provides a relatively simple construction of hang rail and bracket which can be fabricated with great economy and yet which is efficient and durable. The hang rail itself is light in weight, easily installed upon the brackets by a simple downward pressure, and likewise easily removed from the brackets. The hang rail is a hollow tubular member preferably formed by extrusion, having no slots or complex internal construction. The bracket is a simple structure formed by die casting or stamping and cooperates in a novel manner with the hang rail to secure the same in place.

The assembled hang rail and bracket provides for free sliding of the hangers past the bracket without interference.

In prior structures, hangers sliding along the hang rails scratched the rails thereby making them unsightly. Likewise, the friction between the hangers and the rails would make difficult at times to slide heavy garments therealong. The invention obviates these problems with structure to enable the hangers easily to be slid along the rail without marring the rail. Such structure in no way interferes with the ease of installation and removal of the rails relative to the brackets.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, the hang rail is formed preferably as an extruded hollow tube having a protruding rib formation along its bottom side. The protruding rib formation has a flattened end, tapered side walls and a pair of oppositely opening grooves at the lines where the protruding rib formation joins the body of the tube. The remainder is circular in cross section. The top of the tube has a shallow channel formed therein and a plastic or the like strip member is mounted in the channel to be engaged by hangers carried by the hang rail.

The bracket of the invention has a pair of arms mounted on the end of a support member, either connected directly to the member or to an intermediate connector which in turn is mounted to the support member. The arms extend upwardly from the support member an have inwardly directed hook portions at their top ends. There is a lower stop means also provided between the arms. At least one of the arms is resiliently yieldable. When it is desired to install the hang rail on a plurality of such brackets, the hang rail is disposed with the protruding rib formation downwardly and entering between the arms of the brackets. Pressure applied from above will move the hang rail downwardly, and the wedging action of the tapered side walls on the hooked ends of the arms spreads them with respect to one another as the rail is further pushed downward. The flattened end of the rib comes into engagement with the lower stop means at the approximate extent of movement that the hooked ends snap into the oppositely facing grooves, thus locking the hang rail in position on the brackets. Upward pressure on the hang rail causes the hooked ends to yield whereupon the rail can be lifted off the brackets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a hang rail and bracket therefor constructed in accordance with the invention, the hang rail being broken away to show the detailed construction of the bracket;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the hang rail and bracket of FIG. 1 with the hang rail shown in section and a support member mounting the bracket being shown mounted 'on a channel standard;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the hang rail and bracket of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary front-on elevational view of the hang rail and bracket of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of a modified form of bracket according to the invention;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the bracket of FIG. 5 having a hang rail mounted thereon shown in section;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to that of FIG. 5 but showing a still further modified form of the invention; and

FIG. 8 is a somewhat general perspective view showing the manner in which a plurality of brackets support a length of hang rail.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The reference character 10 designates generally the hang rail of the invention, the same being shown in FIGS. 1 through 4 mounted on a bracket 12 that in turn is secured to the forward end of a metal support member 14. But for its forward end, the support member 14 is of conventional construction, being somewhat triangular in shape, provided with hooks 16 that engage in the slots 18 of a conventional vertical channel standard 20 that is mounted to a wall such as shown at 22 in FIG. 8. The bracket and hang rail of the invention need not be secured to this type of support member, but since such equipment is commonly available, it is contemplated that greatest economy will result in such usage.

The hang rail is preferably formed of extruded aluminum alloy. It is formed as a hollow tube, the main body portion 24 of which is circular in cross section for the most part. There is a protruding rib formation 26 formed along the bottom of the hang rail, the rib, as it will hereafter be called, having tapered side walls 28 and a flattened bottom end 30. At the junction of the rib 26 with the main body portion 24, there are outwardly opening undercut grooves 32. The top of the hang rail 10 is thickened at 34 and a channel 36 is formed in the thickened portion. An elongate extruded strip member 38 is engaged in the channel 36. The strip 38 is of T-shaped configuration and its depending leg is of a dimension and configuration (in this case somewhat circular) to matingly engage within the channel 36. The strip 38 is preferably of some plastic material such as any one of the synthetic resins which have surface characteristics that makes metal slide thereon. Even some elastomers would be suitable.

The hang rail 10 is intended to support a plurality of garments on wire hangers that will be freely slidable therealong.

The strip is preferably somewhat flexible, and the channel 36 has an undercut so that the strip 38 may be pressed into engagement with the body of the hang rail 10 through cooperation of the depending leg and the channel.

The bracket 12 has a body portion 40 that is welded or riveted as shown at 42 to the support member 14, and in the structure of FIGS. 1 through 4, said bracket 12 is a unitary die-cast member.

Y There is a front arm 44 which is connected on its bottom edge with the remainder of the bracket by means of a bottom platform 46 that serves as stop means. Preferably, the arm 44 and stop means 46 conform in cross section to the configuration of the rib 26. The arm 44 may be rigid and is provided along its upper edge with an inwardly directed hook portion 48. A second arm 50 is formed on the bracket 12, this arm preferably being somewhat thinner than arm 44. It is not connected with the bottom platform 46 but instead is supported from the body of the bracket 12 only at its center, there being a fillet 52 at this point to cooperate with the arm 44 in seating the rib 26 as will be explained. Both the arms 44 and 50 are connected by the large web 54.

The arm 50 has on its ends inwardly directed hook portions 56 on its top edge. Such hook portions 56 together with the hook portion 48 are intended to engage in the grooves 32 of the hang rail 10. The hook portion 48 need not be along the entire length of arm 44 but could be provided at a small part thereof in its center.

When it is desired to mount the hang rail on the bracket 12, which will normally be done using a long length of hang rail and several of such brackets (see FIG. 8), the rib 26 is inserted between the hook portions 56 and 48 and pressed downwardly. The free ends of the arm 50 will yield somewhat so that the hook portions will spread apart and at approximately the point that the flattened bottom 30 of the hang rail 10 engages the bottom stop member 46 of the bracket 12, the hook portions 48 and 56 will snap into the grooves 32, holding the hang rail securely mounted to the bracket 12. The fillet 52 and inner surface of arm 44 engage opposite tapered side walls 28 of hang rail 10. For removal, the hang rail 10 is merely pushed upwardly so that the hook portions 48 and 56 ride out of the grooves 32.

It will be appreciated that although die-cast articles are fairly rigid, if the arm 50 is made thin enough, there will be sufficient resilience to permit the installing an removal action described above.

In FIG. 5, there is illustrated a bracket 60 which is constructed to be a part of the front end of a support member 14. The support member 14' differs in very little respects from the support member 14 except for its front end. A pair of stamped metal bracket members 62 is connected to the front end of a support member as, for example, by means of the ears 64 welded in place. The outer end of each bracket member is provided with an upstanding arm 66 having a hook portion 68 on the top edge thereof. Integral with each of the bracket members 62 there is a platform 70 bent out of the body 72 of the bracket members 62, said platform serving the same purpose as the lower stop means 46. The front end of the support member 14 has an integral arm 74 with an inwardly directed hook portion 76 formed on its upper end. A notch 78 is cut in the support member 14' having configuration conforming to the cross section of the rib 26 to seat and stabilize the rib 26 when the hang rail 10 is installed.

As seen in FIG. 6, the hang rail 10 is adapted to be installed in substantially the same manner as described in FIG. 2. The rib 26 is inserted between the two hooked portions 68 and 76, the arms 66 yielding sufficiently to enable the hang rail to be pressed downwardly into engagement with the platform 70 and notch 78, the bottom of the notch cooperating with the platform 70 to form lower stop means. The hook portions 68 and 76 snap into the grooves 32 of the hang rail 10.

As will be obvious, it is not essential that bracket parts 62 be provided on both sides of the support member 14, and accordingly, in FIG. 7, there is illustrated a construction in which only one such bracket member 62 is utilized.

When a plurality of support members such as 14' is used in a given installation, with an elongate section of hang rail 10, the multiple support of brackets 62 like those of FIG. 7 will be sufiicient to hold and support the hang rail. Since there will be a plurality of support members 14, in any given installation (FIG. 8), there is little likelihood of insufficient support.

It will be obvious from the above description that the invention is capable of substantial variation from the described structures without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What it is desired to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A hang rail and bracket combination for use in supporting a plurality of garments or the like on hangers, comprising A. a tubular hang rod having a body portion and a bottom rib along the length thereof and undercut grooves at the junction between the rib and body portion;

B. a bracket having front and rear arms, lower stop means between the arms and means for connecting the bracket to a support member, at least one arm being resilient; and

C. the arms having inwardly directed hook means on their upper ends spaced apart transversely of the hang rail a distance less than the widest dimension of the rib,

the hang rail adapted to be pressed downwardly against the bracket with the rib entering between the arms,

spreading same apart to enable the rib to pass the hook means and engage the lower stop means after which the hook means will move into clamping relation with said grooves.

2. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the arm which is resilient has the hook means thereof formed as two separate members spaced apart.

3. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the rear arm is resilient.

4. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 1 in which said arms are elongate in the direction of the axis of the hang rail and extend on opposite sides of the center of the bracket and one of said arms has said hook means only on the ends thereof.

5. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 1 in which said rear arm is located on one side of the center of the bracket and spaced from said means for connecting the bracket to a support member.

6. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 1 in which means are provided in addition to said lower stop means for seating said hang rail.

7. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 6 in which said seating means include the front arm.

8. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 7 in which said seating means also includes a fillet at the center of said bracket opposite said front arm.

9. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 1 in which said rear arm is spaced from the lower stop means substantially along its entire length but for the center thereof.

10. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 1 in which said front arm comprises a narrow central projection of said bracket. 7

11. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 1 which includes the support member, and in which the front arm is formed integral with the front end of said support member. 2

12. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 1 which includes the support member, and in which the bracket comprises a stamping secured to at least one side of the front end of the support member and having the rear arm and lower stop means integrally formed therewith.

13. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 12 in which the front arm is integral with the support member. I

14. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 12 in which there is a notch in said support member to form saidfront arm and to accommodate said bottom rib.

15. In a hang rail assembly, a hang rail for use in sup porting a plurality of garments or the like on hangers,

the rail adapted to be mounted on brackets and comprising: a hollow elongate tubular member having means on the bottom side thereof to enable securement to a bracket and an overlying antifriction strip on the top side thereof to resist abrasion of the rail during use thereof there being first interlocking securement means along the length of said top side of said rail substantially diametrically opposite the means on the bottom side of said rail and second securement means along the bottom of said antifriction strip, said first and second securement means being cooperatively interlocked to enable attachment of said strip to said rail.

16. The hang rail as claimed in claim 15 in which said first securement means comprise a channel formed in the hang rail on the top side thereof and along its length and the second securement means comprising a depending leg on the strip engaged in the channel.

17. In a hang rail assembly including a hang rail and bracket therefor, said hang rail comprising a tubular member having a protruding rib on the bottom thereof, the rib having tapered side walls and a flattened bottom and there being outwardly opening undercut grooves at the lines of junction of the rib with the remainder of the tubular member, said bracket having yieldable means to receive the rib, spread apart as the rib is pushed into said means, and to snap back into the grooves to secure the hang rail to the bracket.

18. The structure as claimed in claim 17in which the hang rail is formed as a circumferentially continuous extruded shape.

19. The structure asclaimed in claim 17 in which there is a channel formed on the upper side of said hang rail and an antifriction strip is engaged in said channel.

20. In a hang rail assembly including a hang rail and support means therefor, said hang rail comprising a tubular member having a protruding rib on the bottom thereof, the rib having tapered side walls and a flattened bottom and there being outwardly opening undercut grooves at the lines of junction of the rib with the remainder of the tubular member, said support means having movable means to receive the rib and engage at least one of said grooves for removably securing the tubular member on said support means.

21. In a hang rail assembly, a hang rail for use in supporting a plurality of garments or the like on hangers, the rail adapted to be mounted on bracket means and comprising: a hollow elongate tubular member having a main body portion and a radially outwardly protruding rib on the bottom side thereof adapted to be engaged with said bracket means, said rail having undercut groove means at the juncture of the rib with said body portion adapted to be engaged complementarily by said bracket means to hold said hand rail in' non-rotatable engagement on said bracket means.

22. The structure as claimed in claim 21 in which said rib protrudes from said main body portion.

23. The structure as claimed in claim 21 in which said railcomprises a circumferentially enclosed extrusion.

24. The structure as claimed in claim 22 in which said rib has a fiat bottom surface and connected tapered side surfaces diverging from said bottom surface.

25. A hang rail for use in supporting garments from hangers and adapted to be mounted on bracket means, comprising a hollow, elongate, tubular extrusion formed as a substantially circular cross section body portion having a radially outwardly protruding rib defined on one side thereof, there being opposed undercut grooves at the juncture of the rib and body pormount said rail in non-rotative engagement on said bracket means.

28. The combination of the hang rail as claimed in claim 26 with bracket means having formations complementarily to mate with said rib and grooves to mount rail in non-rotative engagement on said bracket means. 

1. A hang rail and bracket combination for use in supporting a plurality of garments or the like on hangers, comprising A. a tubular hang rod having a body portion and a bottom rib along the length thereof and undercut grooves at the junction between the rib and body portion; B. a bracket having front and rear arms, lower stop means between the arms and means for connecting the bracket to a support member, at least one arm being resilient; and C. the arms having inwardly directed hook means on their upper ends spaced apart transversely of the hang rail a distance less than the widest dimension of the rib, the hang rail adapted to be pressed downwardly against the bracket with the rib entering between the arms, spreading same apart to enable the rib to pass the hook means and engage the lower stop means after which the hook means will move into clamping relation with said grooves.
 2. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the arm which is resilient has the hook means thereof formed as two separate members spaced apart.
 3. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the rear arm is resilient.
 4. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 1 in which said arms are elongate in the direction of the axis of the hang rail and extend on opposite sides of the center of the bracket and one of said arms has said hook means only on the ends thereof.
 5. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 1 in which said rear arm is located on one side of the center of the bracket and spaced from said means for connecting the bracket to a support member.
 6. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 1 in which means are provided in addition to said lower stop means for seating said hang rail.
 7. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed In claim 6 in which said seating means include the front arm.
 8. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 7 in which said seating means also includes a fillet at the center of said bracket opposite said front arm.
 9. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 1 in which said rear arm is spaced from the lower stop means substantially along its entire length but for the center thereof.
 10. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 1 in which said front arm comprises a narrow central projection of said bracket.
 11. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 1 which includes the support member, and in which the front arm is formed integral with the front end of said support member.
 12. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 1 which includes the support member, and in which the bracket comprises a stamping secured to at least one side of the front end of the support member and having the rear arm and lower stop means integrally formed therewith.
 13. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 12 in which the front arm is integral with the support member.
 14. The hang rail and bracket combination as claimed in claim 12 in which there is a notch in said support member to form said front arm and to accommodate said bottom rib.
 15. In a hang rail assembly, a hang rail for use in supporting a plurality of garments or the like on hangers, the rail adapted to be mounted on brackets and comprising: a hollow elongate tubular member having means on the bottom side thereof to enable securement to a bracket and an overlying antifriction strip on the top side thereof to resist abrasion of the rail during use thereof there being first interlocking securement means along the length of said top side of said rail substantially diametrically opposite the means on the bottom side of said rail and second securement means along the bottom of said antifriction strip, said first and second securement means being cooperatively interlocked to enable attachment of said strip to said rail.
 16. The hang rail as claimed in claim 15 in which said first securement means comprise a channel formed in the hang rail on the top side thereof and along its length and the second securement means comprising a depending leg on the strip engaged in the channel.
 17. In a hang rail assembly including a hang rail and bracket therefor, said hang rail comprising a tubular member having a protruding rib on the bottom thereof, the rib having tapered side walls and a flattened bottom and there being outwardly opening undercut grooves at the lines of junction of the rib with the remainder of the tubular member, said bracket having yieldable means to receive the rib, spread apart as the rib is pushed into said means, and to snap back into the grooves to secure the hang rail to the bracket.
 18. The structure as claimed in claim 17 in which the hang rail is formed as a circumferentially continuous extruded shape.
 19. The structure as claimed in claim 17 in which there is a channel formed on the upper side of said hang rail and an antifriction strip is engaged in said channel.
 20. In a hang rail assembly including a hang rail and support means therefor, said hang rail comprising a tubular member having a protruding rib on the bottom thereof, the rib having tapered side walls and a flattened bottom and there being outwardly opening undercut grooves at the lines of junction of the rib with the remainder of the tubular member, said support means having movable means to receive the rib and engage at least one of said grooves for removably securing the tubular member on said support means.
 21. In a hang rail assembly, a hang rail for use in supporting a plurality of garments or the like on hangers, the rail adapted to be mounted on bracket means and comprising: a hollow elongate tubular member having a main body portion and a radially outwardly protruding rib on the bottom side thereof adaPted to be engaged with said bracket means, said rail having undercut groove means at the juncture of the rib with said body portion adapted to be engaged complementarily by said bracket means to hold said hang rail in non-rotatable engagement on said bracket means.
 22. The structure as claimed in claim 21 in which said rib protrudes from said main body portion.
 23. The structure as claimed in claim 21 in which said rail comprises a circumferentially enclosed extrusion.
 24. The structure as claimed in claim 22 in which said rib has a flat bottom surface and connected tapered side surfaces diverging from said bottom surface.
 25. A hang rail for use in supporting garments from hangers and adapted to be mounted on bracket means, comprising a hollow, elongate, tubular extrusion formed as a substantially circular cross section body portion having a radially outwardly protruding rib defined on one side thereof, there being opposed undercut grooves at the juncture of the rib and body portion whereby the width across the rib is greater than the distance between the bottoms of the grooves.
 26. The hang rail of claim 25 in which the rib protrudes beyond the cylindrical plane defined by rotating the outer surface of said body portion about the axis of said circular cross section.
 27. The combination of the hang rail as claimed in claim 25 with bracket means having formations complementarily to mate with said rib and grooves to mount said rail in non-rotative engagement on said bracket means.
 28. The combination of the hang rail as claimed in claim 26 with bracket means having formations complementarily to mate with said rib and grooves to mount rail in non-rotative engagement on said bracket means. 